Tag: Eric Bogosian

Movie Review – ‘Uncut Gems’ – “Walking the Edge”

Directed by The Safdie Brothers (Josh & Benny)
Written by Ronald Bronstein & The Safdie Brothers
Cast: Adam Sandler, Kevin Garnett, Idina Menzel, Lakeith Stanfield, Julia Fox, Eric Bogosian, The Weeknd, Paloma Elsesser, Keith Williams Richards, Judd Hirsch, Mike Francesa, Noa Fisher, Pom Klementieff
Soundtrack: Daniel Lopatin

After Good Time came out a couple of years ago, I’ve been voraciously excited to see what the Safdie brothers would do next, so much so that despite seeing the trailer for Uncut Gems approximately a hundred times (What can I say? I go to Alamo Drafthouse a lot), my appetite never once wavered.

I’m sure I’ve said this before, but there’s a spirit of genuine New York City filmmaking that has existed since at least the 1950s, and I’m not just talking about mainstream directors like Martin Scorsese (who’s an executive producer on Uncut Gems; game recognize game) and William Friedkin, but people like Larry Cohen, William Lustig, and James Glickenhaus throughout the 70s, 80s, and 90s as well.

For my money, no filmmakers today carry this torch as brightly and as authentically as Benny and Josh Safdie, along with their writing partner Ronald Bronstein. While it can be argued if Uncut Gems is their best film (after all, Good Time is such an unrelenting, compounding assault on the senses, and I say that with love), it is their most mature film in the sense that they are clearly applying every lesson they’ve learned in the past while still trying something new.

Without saying what it is, the intro to Uncut Gems is reminiscent of the way Friedkin opens such films as The Exorcist and Sorcerer, and I really appreciated that, but the truly ambitious element of the movie is the recording of all the overlapping dialogue, which is a very Robert Altman move, and not an inappropriate one given that Uncut Gems might be the best gambling movie in 45 years (that being Altman’s 1974 opus, California Split).

Let me be clear though, despite all my talk of spiritual continuum and stylistic homages, Uncut Gems is a decidedly independent and original film, so for all the talk about the death of cinema these days, rest assured, there are still life signs to be found, this movie among them (It’s also a surprisingly accessible film, at least by Safdie brothers’ standards, although, you know, maybe don’t take grandma and the kids. Star Wars this is not).

Of course, despite the strength of the filmmaking, the gritty allure of Darius Khondji’s cinematography, and the mastery of Daniel Lopatin’s electronic score, I’d be absolutely remiss if I didn’t at least mention the performances.

Say what you will about Adam Sandler (God knows I’ve said plenty), he absolutely nails this role, but it’s a team effort as well: Lakeith Stanfield puts in his usual good shift; the great Eric Bogosian is properly menacing without being arch; but, for me, the unsung hero of the cast is Keith Williams Richards as Bogosian’s number one lieutenant (Never heard of him? Me neither, but he’s great in this). In addition, there are a few fun cameos spaced throughout; some you may already be aware of, some that require a little digging.

So, if you’re looking for something beyond the usual Hollywood fare this holiday season, I highly recommend Uncut Gems. It’s one of the best of the year, hands down.

Rating: ★★★★☆

New and Old Twofer – ‘Bad Times at the El Royale’ and Larry Cohen’s ‘Special Effects’ – A Bundle of Meh

Bad Times at the El Royale

Written and Directed by Drew Goddard
Cast: Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, Cailee Spaeny, Lewis Pullman, Chris Hemsworth, Manny Jacinto, Jim O’Heir, Alvina August, Nick Offerman, Mark O’Brien, Xavier Dolan
Soundtrack: Michael Giacchino

Bad Times at the El Royale is not the worst movie ever, nor would I even say, “It sucks.”  However, it’s not nearly as clever as it thinks it is (or as most people seem to think it is).

The biggest and most glaring issue is that for a film that’s nearly two-and-a-half hours long, the amount of information you receive is borderline shockingly low, which I could abide if it was super-stylized (a la Mandy, or something more Tarantino-esque like Inglourious Basterds), but it’s really not.  It’s more plot-driven than character-driven, and dare I say neither the characters nor the performances are all that special.

It’s a shame because I like Drew Goddard for his work on The Cabin in the Woods and The Martian, but something just didn’t quite jell here.  Maybe trimming some of the fat to reduce the runtime and quicken the pace would have been an improvement unto itself, but I’m really just spit-balling here; who knows what would have worked?

Again, I didn’t hate it, and if you’re still really curious it might be worth a Redbox rental down the line, but that’s about as much of a recommendation as I can give it.

Rating: ★★½ (out of five)

 

Special Effects

Original Release Date: November 16, 1984
Written and Directed by Larry Cohen
Cast: Zoë Lund, Eric Bogosian, Brad Rijn, Kevin O’Connor, Bill Oland, H. Richard Greene, Steven Pudenz
Soundtrack: Michael Minard

In our [hopefully continuing] little series on the life and works of Larry Cohen, Special Effects has decidedly been the biggest disappointment.

Much like Bad Times at the El Royale, I didn’t hate it.  It at least has the trademark Larry Cohen (and vintage New York City) energy to keep you going, but it suffers from a lack of a strong lead performance (or supporting performance for that matter), and a lack of just plain old verisimilitude.  As talented a screenwriter as he is, and as much as I appreciate the influences from, say, Vertigo, there’s an uncanny valley effect to the story here that not even Cohen can overcome, and it’s difficult to not realize how insane and unrealistic it all is.

Again, it’s a shame, because obviously I like Larry Cohen, and I don’t think Zoë Lund and Eric Bogosian are untalented, but the film is a misfire, plain and simple.

Rating: ★★½ (out of five)

New & Old Twofer – ‘King Cohen’ and ‘God Told Me To’

King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen

Written and Directed by Steve Mitchell
Interviewees: J.J. Abrams, Rick Baker, Eric Bogosian, Barbara Carrera, Larry Cohen, Joe Dante, James Dixon, F.X. Feeney, Robert Forster, Megan Gallagher, Mick Garris, Yaphet Kotto, Paul Kurta, John Landis, Laurene Landon, Traci Lords, Michael Moriarty, Frank Pesce, Tara Reid, Eric Roberts, Martin Scorsese, Fred Williamson
Soundtrack: Joe Kraemer

Even before seeing this documentary, I was reasonably familiar with Larry Cohen, as I’d seen his collaborations with Bill Lustig (aka the Maniac Cop trilogy and Uncle Sam), as well as (and perhaps more importantly) The Stuff, which he wrote, produced, and directed (as he often did), and which I have great affection for.

If you’re completely unfamiliar with Larry Cohen (which I imagine is most people), he’s mostly known for being a purveyor of low-budget exploitation films throughout the Seventies and Eighties, but he actually started out as a mainstream television writer (including creating a little series called Branded), and he’s continued to sell screenplays throughout the Nineties and into the Aughts (most notably Phone Booth).

More often than not telling stories on the streets of New York (where he was born and raised), Cohen was notorious for shooting without permits and stealing whatever shots he could to add production value without adding to the budget, giving his films a realism and an energy beyond many other similarly budgeted projects.

The documentary itself isn’t as out-and-out entertaining as, say, Electric Boogaloo, but this is more than made up for by the content, as Larry’s career arc is quite fascinating unto itself.  Mostly though, King Cohen is a testament to choosing artistic control over more money, and a record of a time gone by when Americans were allowed to enjoy a little more everyday danger (before the terrorists won).

Whether you’re an aspiring filmmaker, a cinephile, or just a fan of documentaries, this is a worthwhile watch all-around.

Rating: ★★★★☆

 

God Told Me To

Original Release Date: October 22, 1976
Written and Directed by Larry Cohen
Cast: Tony Lo Bianco, Deborah Raffin, Sandy Dennis, Sylvia Sidney, Sam Levene, Robert Drivas, Mike Kellin, Richard Lynch, Sammy Williams, Harry Bellaver, Andy Kaufman, Randy Jurgensen, Mason Adams
Soundtrack: Frank Cordell

I’d seen the trailer for this at many an Alamo Drafthouse pre-show and always laughed it off, but, to my surprise, God Told Me To is highly watchable, engaging, and, in general, probably much better than it has any right to be (although the final button didn’t make much sense to me, but I’m feeling generous, so I can forgive that).

The film starts out as something of a police procedural.  There’s a string of mysterious mass murders perpetrated by separate and unrelated people.  The only element that connects them is they all tell NYPD Det. Peter Nicholas (Tony Lo Bianco, in one of his best performances) that “God told me to,” before they themselves die.  Det. Nicholas, being a devout Catholic (yet maintaining an extra-marital affair; it’s complicated), is understandably shaken by this, yet is nevertheless determined to discover the truth behind the murders, be it God, Satan, mass hysteria, or something else entirely.

I won’t say anymore about the plot as it would spoil the movie (spoiler alert: they reveal it in the aforementioned documentary), but, suffice it to say, the movie most likely does not go where you think it will, and as such is an enjoyable ride.

Is it a masterpiece?  Hardly, but if nothing else it’s noteworthy for featuring Andy Kaufman in his first role (in one of those trademark grandiose Larry Cohen stolen sequences), and, as Cohen’s films often do, it punches above its weight class.

Rating: ★★★½